“People came pouring out of the buildings, the American Express Building, all the buildings in the financial district by the water,” said Edward Acker, a photographer who was at the building, 3 World Financial Center. “And even the construction guys over by 100 North End Avenue area, they all got out of their buildings. Nobody knew about it. Finally some guy showed up with a little megaphone to tell everyone it was a test, but the people were not happy. The people who were here 9/11 were not happy.”

Mr. Acker added: “New York City police were standing right there and they had no knowledge of it. The evacuations were spontaneous. Guys from the floor came out, and one guy I talked to was just shaking.”...

In Jersey City, construction workers were evacuated from a condominium tower under construction at 77 Hudson Street.

The workers, who were on the 32nd floor of the construction site, said the plane circled three times past the Goldman Sachs tower, the tallest building in New Jersey. On the second pass, they said, the jet appeared to be only a few dozen feet from the building — close enough to clip the side of the skyscraper. A fighter followed right behind, mirroring its moves....

Sidney Bordley, a floor director in an office building at 1 Battery Park Place, said, “People were running out of the office, claiming they saw a commercial flight being pursued by F-16’s.” He added, “There was some confusion and a little excitement.”

A group of financial services workers, who were gathered outside the same building but declined to give their names, described their reactions. “I saw the landing gear and I was out of here,” one said. Another said: “There were people in my elevator, sweating and shaking. There were women crying. It was not an experience to be taken lightly.”

Will we ever find out who authorized this? Doubtful. There will be much falling on swords and diving for cover. Hard to believe that top Obama political types were not in on this stupid idea. Did Obama himself know? One hopes not, for reasons too numerous to list.

the article did not say Obama fired anyone. I guess he was not that mad.So if you run an organization with over two million employees (say, the Federal Government) and someone makes a stupid decision then you immediately know who it was and who to fire (no report or investigation necessary?)

I wouldn't read much into this as far as the President goes. I doubt he had any idea it was happening. I wouldn't read any deeper meaning into it at all. It was just stupidity, of which there is a surplus in government bureaucracy.

David said... Will we ever find out who authorized this? Doubtful. a guy who should know better. Bill Clinton's former Secretary of the Army, who is now Obama's head of the WH Military Office:

Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, subsequently said in a statement that he approved the mission last week.

"I take responsibility for that decision," Caldera said. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused." dumb, dumber, dumbest...

A show of hands, please: Who here remembers the "BDS" pandemic that hit a few years back? I think it's surfacing again...

Seriously, folks, if you work yourself into a lather of outrage for what is clearly and quite simply bureaucratic ineptitude you won't have any juice left in the tank when something that actually matters comes along (see, e.g., liberals, Bush and torture).

It's just not that big a deal. I got really tired of every little thing that went wrong being pinned on the last President, and the same thing is happening again.

No one died, and it's just the normal stupidity of government. Putting it on the same level as something important (like an actual attack) shows a lack of perspective.

People who want to paint the President as incompetent will use anything to prove it. They see what they want to see, just like people did for the last President. When we find out what actually happened, it will most likely be some low level deputy trying to impress someone. Stupidity is banal.

The President cannot make every decision in the government, or even in the executive branch. He is responsible for the mistakes of others, of course, but only because he's the President. I'm confused as to how people think that Obama is somehow in charge of organizing low level decisions like photo ops. Do you think Bush was? I doubt it.

And it just doesn't matter that much. This will turn into a partisan scandal that no one else cares about. Who knew what when about a photo op...

A senior administration official said that an F.A.A. official notified Mayor Bloomberg’s office last week about the flyover. She said that Marc Mugnos, the director of operations in the office of citywide event coordination and management, was the official notified about the Air Force operation. NJ and NY State, Port Authority authorities, the FAA, both state police agencies were also notified..

So it wan't just the AF. A multiplicity of gevernment agencies knew and didn't see fit to notify media or the public.

And there is something funny about people in the ideological heart of the ACLU, that seek to end interrogation of "terrorists with rights" and prosecute CIA and Bush people exploding out of their buildings in blind panic. Many still wearing their "O" buttons.

Jon said... Could there be any more literal demonstration of the fact that the Obama administration has a Sept 10 mindset?.

With the passage of almost 8 years, the country cannot pretend any longer, as Bush did - that a minor military attack with light casualties as 1st enemy attacks go "Changed Everything!!!" (Russia lost 3 million in the 1st month of WWII) Or, like Bush, pretend that all other duties and challenges facing the Fed GOv't can be ignored in order to:

1. Go 24/7 that nothing matters but facing the Evildoers.2. Bring democracy to freedom-hungry, noble Muslims.3. Do what Our Special Friend thinks we need to do.

No one died, and it's just the normal stupidity of government. So, what, we're not to criticize government stupidity now? Give us a break. This just happened, it's news, it's fair game for comment and finger-pointing.

Let's make a deal - if conservatives are bringing this issue up months or years from now, then we'll agree that the reaction is an overreaction. But unless you think it should just pass without comment, you're being unreasonable at this point.

Is it just me or is Cedarford becoming more and more incoherent? It's like the Three Faces of Eve or something. He has somehow managed to write comments that simultaneously support and condemn every side of an issue.

Am I missing something? How is this Pres. Obama's fault? Did he say "you can see F-16 do shootdowns from here", and then have to go prove it? Was it done to show off to the Al Queada cells in Canada that Homeland Security has Airforce friends?

Meanwhile, FOX Network announced that they are refusing to carry the President's press conference (though CBS, ABC and NBC will still carry it) so they can broadcast their regularly scheduled episode of "Lie to Me."

Maguro said... POH - They were trying to make a picture like this.now I am sort of pissed. TheO is supposed to believe in AGW and checking every line item to save money, except of course when they are trying to stimulate. This must have been Stimulus Monday, and The Goracle must have given them a carbon offset to allow them to spend 15 tons of fuel on PR photos.

I know it may seem odd but I'm giving Obama a pass on this one, especially if he fires the nutjob who ordered it. I find myself in agreement with Chuckie Schumer, Mayor Bloomberg, and Barack Obama all at once, and damnit, I'm going to savor the moment.

As for the press conference, it's only the Fox network channels that won't be covering it; the presser will be covered in full at Fox News and Fox Business channels, so it's not as if it's a complete snub, as some of the other networks did when Bush was President.

Tex Johnston is best known for barrel rolling the Boeing model 367-80 (better known as the Dash-80, the prototype of the KC-135 Stratotanker, which was the basis for the very first US transport jet B-707) in a demonstration flight over Lake Washington outside of Seattle, in front of 500,000 people on August 7, 1955.[4] The maneuver was caught on film and is frequently shown on the Discovery Wings cable channel in a three-minute short as part of the Touched by History series. Called before Boeing president Bill Allen, Johnston was asked what he meant in rolling the airplane. "Selling your airplane" was his response. Johnston kept his position as a test pilot, and got in no legal troubles for his actions.Must see video :)

I've never understood why all the networks needed to carry the damn presidential press conferences. They all show the same damn thing; why not have PBS or CSPAN carry them and all those who give a shit can tune in.

(My annoyance of televised press conferences dates back to the 70s, when I was a teenager. I've since learned that I detest listening to most presidents and politicians speak. It's double speak and phony.

I guess I can understand, maybe, why the secrecy was needed. It reads like people were notified of the event but told not to tell anyone. Which is unfortunate because if they had, they would have learned what a very bad idea it was.

So the bureaucrat who okayed this takes responsibility, which in FedSpeak means diddly squat. He should have already resigned.

"I take responsibility for that decision," Caldera said. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

The "tell" in the above quote (and how it is instantly recognizable as an Obama administration statement) is how the guy claims to take full responsibility... after having just finished blaming the state and local authorities for not communicating effectively.

These guys are fast becoming something of a joke. The administration has one or two of these Peter & the Wolf fingerpointing moments left before no reasonable person will have faith in their "I told so and so but they didn't do this or that, but being noble, I accept responsibility" dissembling. No one will believe they actually told anyone, and they'll own the ineptitude wholesale.

This is some of the purest ineptitude I've ever witnessed in elected officials anywhere. For Democrats, these guys even suck as actors!

Meanwhile, FOX Network announced that they are refusing to carry the President's press conference (though CBS, ABC and NBC will still carry it) so they can broadcast their regularly scheduled episode of "Lie to Me."

Sounds like a smart business decision, given the relative ratings of Presidential addresses and "Lie to Me".

Since it involved a plane that would be recognized as being the president's it is perhaps obvious that some stupid skit, tieing Obama with the Statue of Liberty, Manhatten, the military (represented by the F-16) was being staged. The only stupider explanations are every other one.

But, BO scares the shit out of NYC for a stpid photo for his legacy; hey, just another day at the office.My guess is that the Air Force wanted to take the pictures and Obama knew nothing about it. Caldera, as head of WHMO, was probably the senior ranking civilian with knowledge of the mission. I'm sure all the gory details will emerge in due course.

Be interesting to see what high paying position Caldera ends up with. Look at what happened to Jamie Gorelick and Rahm Emanuel and Holder and Geithner. They screwed up under Clinton and got very high paying jobs right away and when Obama got elected there they are again right back in office. Bet this happens with Caldera as well. Maybe he paid his taxes so he can't get a cabinet office but there must be something they can use him for. Any openings in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae? That's always good for a few shekels.

"..... Brooks imagined a new era of government in which its chief stewards do not come from the insular coterie of lifelong aides who depend upon (the president) for their well-being, but are putatively the best and brightest America has to offer and have the Ivy League pedigrees to prove it.(chris lacairia harvard crimson)

I received a message at work from security saying, "the low flying plane is government owned, please cease evacuation," of the downtown office.

For all the dimwits who will make (and have) fun of scared New Yorkers, we learned something that day: Don't wait for "officials" to tell you what's going on. The blackout in 2003? People who were in and around the towers that day were gone in seconds. They didn't wait.

And to the moron above who thinks the "lefties" are scared of F15s, we had them circling NYC moments and days after 9/11. We are familiar, and unless it was the fleet week roll in, it would make me think (if I saw it) something bad is happening or about to happen. If I saw what people downtown saw today, I would think that F15 was trying to track or force down the jumbo jet.

This is really the dumbest thing I have seen in these 100 days. I guess they really don't believe there's a war going on. Otherwise, why would they classify this flight--did they think no one would see it? Are all those people screaming in the videos because they hate Obama and want to make him look bad? This really is, like someone said, high school student council running the country.

Tomorrow we will hear,"I'm glad no one blamed me because I was just eating my waffles."

"Louis Caldera is taking the blame. The person taking the blame is often not the person responsible. Especially in DC.Someone who actually knows what he is talking about. You left out one important point; the responsible person usually owns the bus company.

No, indeed not. You may recall I've advanced the theory that C4 is actually a leftist plant. Well, I'm guessing that the downturn in the economy has put the squeeze on whoever is paying him to do this, and he's in arrears to C4, and this is C4's way of threatening him to pay up or else.

Within 3 months, the skies above Hawaii were alive with arriving planes. But there were no panicked Wall Street bankers or ACLU types boiling out of buildings. And claiming that they were so traumatized that all air formations planned above Hawaii airspace should be announced.

They had pretty good confidence that all the planes were OURS, and that all the Japs in America or on American territory were completely under control. Though the people on Hawaii knew that half the Japs were loyal, a 1/3rd were neutral or leaned to cheering the Emperor's victories over the Chinese and slightly over 10% were completely disloyal as still committed subjects of Hirohito. Enemy alien Japs and a good number of Kebai (Jap-Americans sent back to Japan for schooling and assimilation into the Mother Country).

But Hawaii was under martial law. So no enemy Japs or disloyal J-As really had the means to get guns, high explosives, hijack planes and threaten the war effort, even if they wanted to.

Almost 8 years have passed. Plenty of time to do all things needed to ensure another 9/11 didn;t happen again. Just as Americans in Hawaii felt they had nothing to fear of any 2nd strike after a few months because of war measures taken. But NYC has led the way in litigation in not ensuring the nation was safe from terror on flights, but that Muslims opposed to America do not have their rights "trammeled" by the nation...as they are just civilian criminals no different than bank robbers and best dealt with by "dedicated lawyers in the adversial process".

9/11 is ancient history. Maybe it never occurred. If it did occur, Bush did it. He is out of office. Shame on those who panicked for not recognizing hope and change when it flies right over their head.

Hey Kirk I have not been so quiet. Just busy. The Red Sox won fair and square and are rubbing the Yankees nose in it just like Barry and the Dems are doing to the Republicans and conservatives. But they both won fair and square. I ain't Melissa Rivers. I give credit where credit is due. Although as Vince Lombardi used to say when you score a touchdown you should look like you had been in the end zone before.

What they don't realize is that the worm does turn you know. It's a long season and it has just started. You don't win the World Series in April. Or your first hundred days. When we put Joba back in the pen and put some of the Sox on their asses with a few purpose pitches, things will look a lot different. Events have a way of catching up with you. Needless showboating, arrogance, hubris and stupid unforced errors have a way of piling up to destroy you one way or another. People get tired of your act. Just give it time.